The Adams Cottage press was patented by Albert Adams in 1861 and manufactured by Joseph Watson (inventor of the Young America), operating as the Adams Press Company, in New York. The press was advertised as a portable, do-it-yourself press for amateurs and businessmen. The Cottage Press prints from either end, … Continue reading
Made in Ausburg, West Germany in the 1960s and 70s, Asbern presses have a fixed bed and rolling carriage. They feature a dial for incremental height cylinder adjustment to change the impression and a lever for manual cylinder trip mid print stroke. Three models were imported into the U.S. by … Continue reading
The Original Heidelberg Zylinder 38 cm x 52 cm (14.96 x 20.47 in) cylinder press was launched in 1957 by Schnellpressenfabrik AG Heidelberg, manufactered in their new plant at Wiesloch-Walldorf after a development process spanning eight years—including two years of testing by customers. Continue reading Continue reading
The Lowe cone press, invented and patented by Samuel W. Lowe of Philadelphia in 1856, was advertised as a cheap press for amateurs and tradesmen, with the slogan “Every man his own printer.” It is the oldest of the small, portable presses suitable for amateurs (William Kelsey later positioned his … Continue reading
A.F. Wanner Co. manufactures Potter and Poco proof presses, which feature reciprocating beds and stationary carriages.
Potter presses have reciprocating beds and stationary carriages. Some later models have paper grippers and ink rollers. Manufactured by A.F. Wanner until 1914 when the company was renamed the Horace Hacker Co. In 1931 Challenge Machinery acquired the Poco and Potter brands. The 1935 ATF Machinery Catalog shows “Challenge-Potter” presses. … Continue reading
The Adana catalog indicates that the Showcard does require the setting of type: “This machine has been specially designed for the quick production of display material. It produces one copy as economically as several. It is so simply arranged that the type can be set in minutes (no chase required). … Continue reading
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The 15-21 was the last model to feature the old-style removable top frame oscillator and bottom frame form rollers and the first to include a automatic wash up unit, a doctor blade that squeegees solvent-diluted ink from the ink drum. Standard equipment included an adjustable bed and adjustable travel cylinder … Continue reading
This press is a redesign of the 219 Old Style introduced in 1927. Power driven ink distribution and two swing-out paper shelves under the feed board was standard. Optional features included an adjustable bed and power carriage and automatic frisket/tapes tower Thus, the new style 219 NS may be further … Continue reading
The 219 Proving Machine, now referred to as the 219 Old Style, was replaced by the 219 New Style in 1948. It features power driven ink distribution, pedal cylinder trip, pedal activated grippers and two swing-out paper shelves under the feed board. Optional equipment included an automatic frisket tower assembly. … Continue reading
Designed for proofing newspaper pages, the hand-cranked 320G features an ink slab and form rollers behind the cylinder, which come to rest under the feed board. Optional automatic sheet delivery and ink fountain were originally available. Maximum sheet: 20 × 30″; maximum form: 19 × 24½”. There are two dozen … Continue reading
The 325A was available with a hand-cranked carriage. and was the company’s first power carriage model. It has automatic grippers only, no pedal (like the No. 3), which requires the operator to roll the carriage forward to raise the grippers, then roll carriage back to meet the paper. The 325A … Continue reading
The 325G was available with a hand-cranked or a power carriage. The 325G is identical to the 325A except that it has a pedal to open the gripper. Optional automatic sheet delivery and ink fountain were originally available. Maximum form: 24 × 24½”; maximum sheet: 25 × 30″. There are … Continue reading
Composing Room Cylinders were the first series to be issued serial numbers (stamped directly on the bed), and thus can be accurately dated. This model employs several improvements: automatic cylinder trip; carriage-mounted ink rollers; and an angled feed board with a “sheet hopper” which guides paper to automatic under-cylinder grippers. … Continue reading
The No. 0 belongs to the office press series. It is a simple galley press with a rubberized impression cylinder not geared to a rack. Cylinder bearers roll on the bed bearers and are supported only by bearings riding the under rail. There are no form rollers but paper grippers … Continue reading
The No. 01 belongs to the office press series. It is a simple galley press with a rubberized impression cylinder not geared to a rack. Cylinder bearers roll on the bed bearers and are supported only by bearings riding the under rail. There are no form rollers but paper grippers … Continue reading
The No. 03 belongs to the office press series. It is a simple galley press with a rubberized impression cylinder not geared to a rack. Cylinder bearers roll on the bed bearers and are supported only by bearings riding the under rail. There are no form rollers but paper grippers … Continue reading
The No. 099, is the smallest model in the office press series. It is a simple galley press with a rubberized impression cylinder not geared to a rack. Cylinder bearers roll on the bed bearers and are supported only by bearings riding the under rail. There are no form rollers … Continue reading
The No. 3 looks similar to the No. 4, but with the very important difference and it has non-motorized handwheel ink distribution and automatic grippers. The latter “feature” means that it lacks a gripper pedal, and requires the operator to roll the carriage forward to raise the grippers, then roll … Continue reading
The No. 4 features a complex spring-loaded gear and clutch mechanism on the ends of both roller cores. With only minor modifications (models before 1938 did not have pedal activated grippers), the No. 4 was in production for 25 years. The 4T is differentiated by the addition of a transparency … Continue reading
Roller Series presses feature an inking carriage separate from the impression cylinder. The rollers are replenished with ink from a plate at each end of the bed. These presses lack paper grippers. Models include: the No. 14 (old style) and the No. 20. There are less than two dozen Roller … Continue reading
The SP15, notable for its lightweight design, is a member of the “Simple Precision” series. It was specifically designed to print repro proofs from metal type forms on specially formulated paper, which were then used to make photo-litho plates for offset printing. It was also used for laboratory testing of … Continue reading
The SP20, a larger version of the SP15, was specifically designed to print repro proofs from metal type forms on specially formulated paper, which were then used to make photo-litho plates for offset printing. Unlike earlier Vandercook models, the impression cylinder is automatically in print mode when at the feed … Continue reading
The SP25 was specifically designed to print full newspaper page proofs and also large repro proofs, from metal type forms on specially formulated paper, which were then used to make photo-litho plates for offset printing. Unlike earlier Vandercook models, the impression cylinder is automatically in print mode when at the … Continue reading
The Universal I is member of the Universal series, which introduced the “quick change” form roller assembly where each one is independently set into brackets inside the carriage with height adjustment knobs on the ends of the core. This frameless design eliminated the need to adjust the front and back … Continue reading
The Universal III is member of the Universal series, which introduced the “quick change” form roller assembly where each one is independently set into brackets inside the carriage with height adjustment knobs on the ends of the core. This frameless design eliminated the need to adjust the front and back … Continue reading
